Blessed

There's a preacher out there that incessantly talks about what to do and how to behave in order to get God's blessings. He talks about blessings as though they were a unit of currency. It's amazing that somebody buys this hype. He's done very well, but he's just another silver-tongued devil. But I digress again.

Blessings are not complicated things.

I believe in happiness through kindness, service and sacrifice. And I believe in karma. Thus I believe that blessings come. And they come every which way.

I was climbing a steep and tall mountain a few weeks ago. I should have been up and back down by noon due to the possibility of lightning. I embraced the burn but was nevertheless climbing rather slowly. I started at sunup but there was just no way to meet the timetable. I saw the storms coming right at me and should have aborted but decided instead to continue. The storms went around the mountain and sleeted heavy below. I only got wet in the last ten minutes of my ten-hour hike.

Am I blessed?

I'm very good at science, math... and statistics. When a statistical improbability rears up, I take notice. And there's been quite a few of these. Not 100-year floods every year but 100-year blessings many times a year.

I believe, but not in TV preachers.


-copyright 2014 by Willy.

P.S., lightning kills many hikers above treeline.

It's The Attitude

The classic punch line is "There's got to be a pony in here somewhere..." after you're handed a pile of manure.

That's the attitude!

Whether it is at work or home, a good attitude and positive outlook is key in living a happy life.

I just got back last week to normal cardio after three months of downtime due to hurting a knee in yoga... another stinkin' injury. Three months of boring swimming and vastly reduced caloric intake made me look forward to recovery. Out of that I developed stronger shoulder girdle muscles, and I am now enjoying the Fall leaves on my hikes... more so than ever.

I had a bad relationship years ago that almost took me over the edge... she stunk and she gave me shit. I realized that I was lucky to be rid of such a hindrance. The albatross around my neck gone, I have become much more active and happy.

Same is true at work. For the last year I have been the subject of an investigation after false accusations for which I just got cleared of charges. However, I am being relieved of that responsibility anyway, which stinks like manure. "Don't throw me in that briar patch, Mr. Bear," I told the director. I was much too busy and stressed, and will enjoy the reduced workload.

I've looked and found three ponies out of three piles of manure handed to me. I feel blessed.

- © 2012 by Willy

Appreciation

I like it here. I came from a third-world country, and appreciate what we have here. I've been around and this country is the best there is.

Like me, there are many Americans that reflect an uplifting version of democracy. Of hope and trust in our system... that is not shared by others.

Most of us believe in our careers and our work because the job fulfills us and gives us a reason to live. We believe we may actually do some good, whereas others can't wait for early retirement.

Most of us stand tall in front of flag for the singing of The Star Spangled Banner at game or graduation. Others walk around during the moment.

Others don't seem to like their life and disrespect their country, which is their loss. There is always going to be some discontent, and most of us accept that. God help us all.


- text © 2012 by Willy

P.S., A good attitude is healthy.

On Silence

Yes, silence as in peace and quiet.

Yes, silence like mother nature... and silence like monks do too.

Silence makes me more conscious and mindful, so I'm paying closer attention and feel more connected to the world around me. When we stop talking and turn inward, we tap into vast reserves of energy that we’d otherwise be spewing into the world. I know where I can find the silence: where it’s always been, outside, on the trails. I listen to to the birds, feet hitting the ground. I notice the way the sunlight is filtering through pine needles, and drink it in. Silence is a blessing. Silence is addictive. Silence is a performance-enhancing drug... from working to hiking it makes me better at everything I do.

- © 2012 by Willy

Place?

"Now go to your happy place... a place where you feel comfort, acceptance and love," said Karen the Yoga instructor.

Place? I'm happy when being active hiking, bicycling, weightlifting, running errands, feeding the ducks, reading, working, and meeting people to get things done. A pedometer revealed that I walk 4 miles a day at work. I'm seldom in my office or in my home. I'm completely hyperactive and I channel it to benefit. I may have high blood pressure and trouble sleeping but I love everything I do, I love every day, no matter what. Surrounded by blessings, I quietly and steadily make miracles happen.

I don't have a happy place. I have a happy journey instead... which gives me comfort, acceptance and love.

-© 2010 by Willy

The Tree Winked At Me…

Well, that’s kind of what it looked like. No, Alice wasn’t ten foot tall and I wasn’t high or drunk. I was just enjoying the warming weather of Spring and out for a neighborhood mountain stroll... with a smile on my face. Life is good and my world is right, no matter what is said in the news.

I think and meditate while I hike. At the time I saw that tree, I was thinking that the serendipity of life is a fragile thing. Life can change in a hurry. Much can happen, both positive and negative. You never know what’s going to come up next. You must prepare with school and network, work hard, develop the right attitude and be good… but life is unpredictable. The question of what is good and bad gets answered in hindsight. Stuff happens… which some may call luck… but I like to think of it as grace.

Grace and blessings to you too.

- © 2010 by Willy

P.S., yes, I winked back at the tree... but no one saw me, so it must not have happened.

Above The Canopy

After reflecting for weeks on my hiking trip with Jennifer this year, I've realized that impossible things happen by the grace of God.

I got a grandstand seat to see the splendor of His majesty from a bald ridge six thousand feet high, but to do so spent my physical body beyond the possible, with no injuries nor trauma. There must have been angels there carrying me.




I took me a couple of weeks to get my strength back. I'm not attempting something like that again, but I had a great time... after the fact.

- © 2009 by Willy

Words

"Do you want me to come visit you?" said my wife on the phone as I lay in a hospital bed after a wreck, in May 1982. It was a terrible thing to say at a horrible time. I had no response. She didn't visit, and we divorced soon after that.

"You were terrific!" said the note from friend Donna. It was January 1987 and I had just sat down from giving a talk. It was a nice thing to do. I still have that note tacked up, and I still smile.

We have to be VERY careful with what we say. Words are powerful. They can be used to curse or bless, to be angel or demon... or anything in between. We've all experienced a broken heart, probably more than once, and suspect that in some suicides... words can kill.

Everything we say and do matters, and it is our decision... an awesome responsibility and a powerful choice... to effect good or bad. To better the world, or not.

On the other hand, everything is also a test, disguised to give you the freedom of choice. We'll eventually be held accountable, here... and there too.

-© 2009 by Willy

Blessings

"May you live in interesting times."

This ancient Confucian curse is sometimes misunderstood as a blessing by the inexperienced young. Us old farts know better. Having had a life full of "interesting" times, we seek the simplicity of yore. If we're blessed, we eventually attain this state of being, and are truly thankful of such.

It helps to think positive, but blessings are in the eye of the beholder, as one man's trash is another's blessing. "After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting" (Star Trek's Spock). Not only is everything relative to each other but also to time.

For a youngster, we should wish that lack and struggle only serve to make them stronger.

A blessing to middle-aged people is a wish that every doubt and fear be replaced by a deep abiding trust as they observe evidence of a higher being all around them.

A blessing to solitary old geezers is to tell them to be aware that they are loved beyond measure. But I'll take any kind of attention whatsoever, having no shame.


- © 2009 by Willy

Kind-Hearted

Just when I get sick of people I remember to have lunch with the right kind-hearted person.

I am not a people person, but a machine guy... after all, I'm an engineer. However, at the current spot in my career, I have to deal with people, in all their splendor. At work, I call myself the Roto Rooter Man because my job is to keep the shit flowing... money coming in, work getting done, and reports delivered. Some of these people I deal with are very difficult individuals, but some others help me do my job in spite of the difficult ones, which keeps me from going crazy.

Then there are the kind-hearted angels that give me such joy that they enable me to enjoy life. When we meet, we exchange complements, voice our concerns in a positive way, and resolve that life is good, after all. They are the wind at my back that keeps me going. I am blessed and grateful to have them.

So, here's to the kind-hearted angels in my life, and yours. May they understand their value.

- © 2009 by Willy

P.S., and may your tears be that of joy.

Blessing

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Father, we all have some kind of battle we're fighting, so it's nice to get an occasional kindness and blessing. We all suffer the consequences of living in this world and need to receive the Holy Spirit in a very real way... through other people.

Father, bless my daughter in whatever it is that You know she may be needing this day. May her life be full of your peace, prosperity and power as she seeks to have a closer relationship with you. Enlarge her thinking, be with her, keep her from evil, help her with her burdens and keep her from grief. (1 Chr 4 10)

May the Lord look upon you kindly, give you peace and continue to bless you that you may yourself continue to be a blessing to others.

Amen.

-Dad

P.S., And may the good Lord hold you in the palm of his hand.
.